Yoon Ha Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1979-01-26)January 26, 1979 (age 47) Houston, Texas |
| Occupation | writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Seoul Foreign School |
| Alma mater | |
| Genre | speculative fiction,Science fiction,fantasy,poetry |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | |
| Website | |
| yoonhalee | |
Yoon Ha Lee (born 1979 inHouston, Texas) is an Americanscience fiction andfantasy writer,[1] known for hisMachineries of Empirespace opera novels and his short fiction. His first novel,Ninefox Gambit, received the 2017Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Lee attended high school atSeoul Foreign School, an English-language international school, as hisKorean American family lived in both Texas and South Korea. He went to college atCornell University, majored in mathematics, and earned a master's degree in secondary mathematics education atStanford University. He has worked as an analyst for an energy market intelligence company, done web design, and taught mathematics.[2] Lee is atrans man.[3][4]
Since his first sale in 1999, Lee has published short fiction inThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction,Clarkesworld,Lightspeed and elsewhere. Three of his stories have been reprinted inGardner Dozois'sThe Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies. Dozois wrote that Lee is "one of those helping to move science fiction into the twenty-first century".[5]
In 2012, Lee wroteWinterstrike, abrowser-based text adventure game, forFailbetter Games.[citation needed]
Lee's short fiction has received praise from fellow authors and from literary awards organizations.Aliette de Bodard wrote the introduction forConservation of Shadows and has twice recommended one of Lee's stories in her best of year-round-ups: she selected "Ghostweight" as a favorite of 2011[6] and "The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" was chosen in her 2013 eligibility and recommendations post as "the one that most blew me away this year".[7] "Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain" and "Ghostweight" were nominated for theTheodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.[8][9] "Extracurricular Activities", "The Starship and the Temple Cat", and "The Mermaid Astronaut" have been finalists for theLocus Award for Best Short Story.[10][11][12]The Mermaid Astronaut was also a finalist for theHugo Award for Best Short Story.[13]
His debut novel,Ninefox Gambit, was the first novel in theMachineries of Empire series. It received the 2017Locus Award for Best First Novel,[14] and was a finalist for the 2016Nebula,[15] 2017Hugo,[16] the 2017Compton Crook Award,[17] and the 2017Clarke award.[18] The sequel novelsRaven Stratagem andRevenant Gun also received awards nominations, and the entire series was a finalist for the 2019Hugo Award for Best Series.[19]
Dragon Pearl, the first book of themiddle gradeThousand Worlds series, was released on January 15, 2019, and published byDisney Hyperion under the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint and became aNew York Times bestseller.[20]Dragon Pearl won the 2020Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book[21] and the 2020Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature.[22] It was a finalist for the 2020Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book[23] and the 2019Andre Norton Award.[24]
Lee's young adult novelMoonstorm was published in 2024 and was also well-received critically. It won the 2025Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book[25] and was a finalist for several other accolades. It was followed by a sequel,Starstrike, in 2025.
Lee's notable works include theMachineries of Empire series, theThousand Worlds series of middle grade books,Phoenix Extravagant, andMoonstorm. He has also written numerous short stories.
